New International Container Terminal for Australia
Australia’s largest stevedore, DP World Australia, and the Tasmanian Ports Corporation, Tasports, have committed to the development of an international container terminal at the Port of Burnie in North West Tasmania.
Tasports and DP World are proposing to provide an initial minimum of A$20 million ($15 million) staged investment in new port infrastructure and capacity enhancements for the terminal. The phased approach will allow large ships access to the Tasmanian market and provide Tasmania exporters with greater choice and access to world markets.
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The Port of Burnie was chosen as the most suitable location in Tasmania for its deep water port with direct sea access, enabling it to cater for large ships in the decades ahead. Burnie is also directly connected to an intermodal rail facility which will allow containerized freight to be railed safely and efficiently to Launceston and Hobart.
Once fully developed, the new container terminal is planned to handle the equivalent of 200,000 TEU per annum.
Tasports’ 30 Year Port Plan clearly identifies Burnie as the future largest gateway for container freight into and out of the state.
“Tasmanian exports are set to grow as soon as we can get direct shipping connections to major international ports, and the cities of Sydney, Brisbane and Perth,” said DP World Australia Managing Director and CEO, Paul Scurrah.
DP World Australia’s investment includes:
• refurbishing the existing ship-to-shore crane
• providing an additional ship-to-shore crane
• developing the container yard for general and refrigerated containers
• integrating the yard with the existing rail terminal
• providing yard container handling equipment.
DP World Australia will recruit a new workforce with 40 new positions required at launch.
Earlier this month, DP World Australia ordered four new ZPMC super post-panamax container cranes to boost productivity and capacity through its Australian east coast operations.
Scheduled for delivery in October 2017, DP World Australia’s Brisbane and Sydney terminals will receive one additional crane each, and the Melbourne terminal will receive two new cranes.
The A$60 million ($46 million) investment in new crane infrastructure follows two major contract wins for DP World Australia: the A3 consortium’s decision to award seven of nine port calls on the Asia to Australia service, and the return of Swire Shipping’s Papua New Guinea and Pacific Islands service to the company’s Brisbane and Sydney terminals.